First Impressions
by Dark Ride
Summary: Levi is tasked with taking down a killer-for-hire. Except the would-be victim is far from helpless. Written for RivaMikaJam 4. Could be considered pre-ship.


Written for RivaMika Jam 4. Prompt by warriorbunny424 was _Secret agent AU - I was assigned to assassinate a mass murderer but it looks like you- their soon to be victim- has it under control. I m recruiting you. AU_

Some violence and I shamelessly took the agency abbreviation from my fic Unconditional.

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Levi took another careful peek from the small space where he had managed to wedge itself against the wall between two dumpsters. It wasn't the cleanest hiding place but he was used to making do. It had the best view of an unassuming back door. A back door that led to a small shop whose proprietor managed to piss off the local mob to the point where they hired an internationally famous killer to handle the job. An informer let the info leak to the police who alerted Levi's agency. The local police force had their hands full just trying to contain a turf war between two criminal factions that had decided it was time to settle their differences once and for all.

Thus, Levi was stuck in a dirty alley, waiting for his target to appear. While taking him alive would be preferable, it wasn't a necessity. The safety of the mark took precedence.

"Anything?" Nifa's voice came clear over his radio.

"Not yet," Levi murmured.

"The mark is leaving the shop right now and should arrive within ten minutes. It's highly likely she'll be attacked while opening the door."

Levi didn't reply, focusing instead on carefully shaking out the stifness from his arms and legs. He would have a very short window to act and he was going to be ready.

He made sure his semi-automatic had the silencer attached and slid out easily from the holster. They had lucked out, if it could be called that, by the fact that the killer's MO involved knives and close approach. Shooting him before he could hurt his mark should be easy.

"She's coming," Nifa said and Levi straightened, his eyes tracking from one end of the alley to the other. "No sight of him yet."

Muted footsteps announced the approach of the targeted woman. She was walking leisurely, in a way that bespoke of a long routine. She held a full bag of groceries in both of her hands. She set it down next to the door, pulling out a set of keys. That was when there was a sudden whirring noise and a man literally dropped from above.

"Mikasa Ackerman?" he asked and Levi grimaced. Someone had blundered terribly because why hadn't anyone thought of covering the rooftops in case the target would try an unconventional approach? Levi would make sure he asked that question loudly in the debriefing but for now, he needed to act and act fast. He saw the man pull out his signature hunting knife and Levi stepped out from his hiding place to get a clear line of shot.

He shouldn't have bothered, he thought a few moments later.

"Nifa?" he asked quietly. "Pull up the file on Mikasa Ackerman for me."

He ignored her demands for an explanation and instead tilted his head in consideration. He hadn't expected that the moment her name had been spoken, Mikasa would whip around and stare the man down. He hadn't expected that when she had spotted the knife, she would pull out a mace and spray the other man without any hesitation. And he certainly hadn't expected that she would then pull out two familiar sticks and lash out in a lightning fast succession of strikes hitting true and hard.

The right wrist, the sternum, the side of the neck, the lower back. Then came the crunch of a knee cap breaking and as the would-be assassin crumbled to the ground, Mikasa stepped closer and hit him several times more for good measure.

"How long has she practiced escrima?" Levi asked as he reholstered his gun and rooted around his pocket for his badge.

"Eleven years," Nifa replied with what sounded like awe in her voice. Levi didn't blame her, although she had only the grainy surveillance video to watch, unlike him who had had the front seat to the epic beatdown.

"Maybe we should have focused more on the supposed victim this time," he said as he stepped forward, doing his best to appear unthreatening. He wouldn't put it past Mikasa to mace and beat him as well if she saw him as a threat.

And she had seen him, alright. She took a step back from the crumpled body on the ground, moving in a way that gave her a bigger range of movement. Levi held up his badge quickly.

"I'm with FOSCA and I'm here for this guy."

She stepped closer carefully and extended her hand. He handed over his badge and let her examine it. While she did that, he took out handcuffs and crouched down to secure the man, although he was in no state to attempt an escape.

"You can send the car," he told Nifa and then, more quietly, "A summary on her?"

"Mikasa Ackerman, age 24, she dropped out of a police academy to take over her parents' shop after their death in a suspicious car accident. Active in the community, involved in several cases of assault, all ruled to be justifiable self-defense. The crown witness in the largest racketeering process in two decades, supposed to go to court in two months. Has an interest in martial arts, aside from escrima, she's also a practitioner of capoeira."

"Thank you, Nifa."

Levi looked over to Mikasa. A lot of pieces fell into place.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded tersely before she handed him the badge back.

"I'm surprised you're taking interest in this."

"This trash has killed people in seven other countries, that makes it fall under our jurisdiction."

"I see," she said. The silence was awkward and Levi was grateful for the arrival of the agency's van.

"Will I need to give some sort of a statement?" Mikasa asked while the two of them watched the man being secured and loaded into the vehicle.

"No, we've had a surveillance equipment installed and I will fill in anything the cameras might have missed."

She nodded, her mouth twisting a bit.

"I don't like being used as a bait."

"Then why did you make yourself into one?"

The question came out before Levi could stop himself. She stared at him in surprise that gave way into annoyance.

"Just how long have you been watching me?"

"We haven't," Levi said, somewhat truthfully. "But it makes sense, looking at your actions ever since your parents' death. You left the academy, took over their shop, got involved in the community and started racking up evidence so you could testify against the people who were presumably responsible for your parents' death."

Mikasa looked away before she shrugged.

"At least that way it was my choice to be the bait."

There was really nothing he could say to that. Nifa had been quiet in his ear although the connection was still open.

"We're done here, sir," Gunther called out and Levi nodded. Time to leave but still... If Mikasa hadn't been who she was, he would have had to step in and shoot the man and she would have been traumatized. She was tough, though, tough and skilled and it would be a shame to let her talent go to waste.

"Will you go back to the academy after the trial?"

"I might."

He pulled out an old dry-cleaning receipt and scribbled a number on the back.

"What you did to that man could be considered an excessive force. Police officers don't get away with things like that, or at least they shouldn't get away with things like that," he added when he saw her open her mouth to correct him. "Agencies like ours, we get more leeway, mostly because the scum we usually deal with deserve what they get. So if you decide the police work isn't for you, call this number. If they ask for a reference, tell them even Levi was impressed by you."

He ignored the hastily muffled snort in his earpiece as he held out the paper for Mikasa to take. She hesitated for a moment but then she took it and tucked it away.

"Thanks, I'll think about it."

He nodded at her and turned to walk away. He considered turning off his radio until he got back for the debriefing and when he heard Nifa's laughing "Smooth, Levi, very smooth.", he decisively flicked it off.

Still, the teasing he had gotten for that night was nothing compared to what followed eight months later, when Erwin assigned the newly recruited Mikasa Ackerman to be his partner.

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 **A/N:** For anyone following my multi-chapter fics for this pairing, expect updates to all of them next week.


End file.
